My radishes are always all tops and no bottoms. Is it too much nitrogen? We do make our own compost and use that quite liberally. Red beet is also a flop. Can you help please?

Answer

Soil preparation is incredibly important when it comes to successfully growing vegetables (or any plants for that matter). Radishes do not need overly rich soil and prefer a warm sunny spot with well drained soil. Check that your soil is not too wet and is free draining. Prepare soil by digging it over, and just work in small amounts of compost. If your soil is heavy you can also add in Daltons Premium Garden Mix to help with drainage.
Another thing to check is how fresh your radish seed is; there should be an expiry date on the back of the seed packet. You also could try growing a different type of radish seed (or seed brand); Kings Seeds has a great selection. When it comes to fine seed like radish, sow the seeds in small amounts in 20-30cm rows. As they germinate, thin them out and allow enough room for roots to develop.